Mormons, Coca-Cola and Caffeine

I stopped in at the Maverick this morning to get a drink before heading to work and happened to overhear a heated discussion by two employees about Mormons, caffeine and the Coca Cola Company. Their thought was that it was hypocritical for Mormons, who are supposedly not allowed to drink caffeine (false), to come in every morning to get their Diet Cokes. One of the employees also pointed out that the LDS Church owns half of the Coca Cola Company (also false). I felt bad after leaving the store without correcting them, so I will try to set the record straight here.

Myth #1 - Mormons are not allowed to drink caffeine
I always find it a little annoying when people say "Mormons can't (fill in the blank)". One of the most basic principles of the LDS Church is the principle of agency. Every human being is allowed to use their own judgment and make their own decisions. This is as true for Mormons as it is for anyone else. The gift of agency is not free and there are consequences (good and bad) for each decision that we make. Mormons are free to choose to drink coffee, alcohol, take drugs, lie, steal, cheat, etc. just like everyone else in this world. The difference is that most Mormons choose not to. A Mormon who chooses to drink alcohol, for example, would not be able to enter LDS temples. Temples are considered sacred by members of the LDS church and only members in good standing are allowed to enter. Mormons who want to enter the temple choose not to consume substances that are outlined in the Word of Wisdom.

With all of that said, it is not against LDS teachings to drink sodas that contain caffeine. While some leaders may have counseled against its use, there has never been an official statement from the church that bans its consumption.

I can see where the confusion may come from. The Word of Wisdom, a commandment for healthy spiritual and physical living, forbids the use of tea and coffee which both contain, among other things, caffeine. But sodas that contain caffeine are not specifically forbidden. I think caffeine and overeating could be lumped in the same "gray area" category. Although neither one is healty, they are not expressley forbidden. I can understand both sides of the caffeine argument. One one hand it probably does not have the same effects as alcohol or drugs, but on the other hand I think it can still be addictive. This is an area of the LDS doctrine that is left open for individual members to interpret. I have personally felt addicted to caffeinated sodas at various times of my life and as a result I have chosen to drink less. I think we give up a little bit (or a lot) of our agency with every addiction we take on.

Myth #2 - The LDS Church owns a large percentage of the Coca-Cola Company
This myth is so outrageous that it almost doesn't deserve talking about. The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest companies on earth and is far too large for a single entity to own a majority percentage of. The largest single shareholder (Berhshire Hathaway) in the Coca-Cola Company owns about 8% of the company (a value of about $11 billion). Now, I am not one to speak about the financial position of the LDS Church and have absolutely no idea how much money they have available for investments, but my guess is that most of their investments are tied up in real estate, church buildings, etc. To be honest, I think the LDS Church has better things to do with their money than trying to buy a controlling interest in a large corporation.

Please click here to read more about this subject at Snopes.com.

Hopefully this has cleared up some misconceptions about Mormons and the LDS Church. If you still have questions about this or any other subject relating to the LDS Church, I recommend that you visit on of the Church's websites at www.lds.org or www.mormon.org.

Thank you for being patient with my rant...